24: Chapter 24 Auction

[Lan Xingbi didn't hide anything from you. He told you that although the Western Region is currently blockaded, he knows a way to reach the Middle Pond.]

[Upon hearing this, you quickly asked for details, stating that you also wanted to participate in the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races and hoped he could take you along.]

[Lan Xingbi hesitated for a moment, but out of trust in you, he told you the method.]

[It turns out there is a gap in the formation within the current territory of the Sea Clan. This gap was blasted open ten thousand years ago by a demonic cultivator who rose to power in the Sea Palace Archipelago.]

[That demonic cultivator used some unknown method to actually break through his cultivation beyond the Soul Transformation Stage.]

[However, he still failed to escape the Western Region and was killed by experts from the Xiujin Tower who had caught wind of him.]

[But that gap was covered up by the Human-Dragon Clan and went undiscovered, remaining preserved to this day.]

[Lan Xingbi told you that his mother was the one who told him all this. His mother was originally a Soul Transformation expert, but due to old injuries compounded by miasma, her cultivation dropped to the Nascent Soul Stage.]

[He needs the yin yang life-giving pill to help his mother recover, after which he plans to head to the Middle Pond first to scout the way.]

[You were still somewhat confused after hearing this. Even if there is a gap, what of it?]

[The area bordering the Sea Palace Archipelago is the Erosion Abyss; cultivators from the Western Region simply cannot survive inside it.]

[Even if one could enter the Erosion Abyss, how would they enter the Middle Pond once they got there? Does the Middle Pond also have a gap?]

[Lan Xingbi smiled and explained to you that while the Middle Pond indeed has no gap, it has a place called the Moyuan Forest.]

[The spatial order there is extremely chaotic. His mother told him that a cultivator once went missing in the Moyuan Forest.]

[A few years later, that cultivator was recognized by people in the Upper Realm. Only then did many people realize that the Moyuan Forest actually connects to the Upper Realm.]

[However, the probability of using the Moyuan Forest to smuggle oneself to the Upper Realm is extremely small. Most cultivators who tried this method are still missing, their fates unknown.]

[The Moyuan Forest connects not only to the Upper Realm but also to the Western Region and the Erosion Abyss, and even other small worlds similar to the Spirit Ruins Realm.]

[So, Lan Xingbi told you that as long as you enter the Erosion Abyss and persist until you reach the range of the Moyuan Forest, there is hope of passing through it to enter the Middle Pond.]

[This method is indeed feasible, but you couldn't help asking him: what if you are teleported somewhere else after entering the Moyuan Forest?]

[He gave a mysterious smile, and a small flag appeared in his hand.]

[He told you that this is a Heaven-grade Dharma treasure he exchanged with the Human-Dragon Clan, called the Yuan-Stabilizing Flag.]

[It can maintain the spatial state around oneself, making it the perfect choice for venturing into the Moyuan Forest.]

[He used those two Ancient Inheritances to exchange for this item and the chance to enter the formation gap from the Human-Dragon Clan. If you were willing to trust him, he could take you with him.]

[After some hesitation, you politely declined him.]

[Although you knew from the previous simulation that he did indeed reach the Middle Pond, the uncertainty of this method was too high.]

[If the Yuan-Stabilizing Flag couldn't protect both of you with an extra person there, and you were teleported somewhere else, everything would be ruined.]

[Furthermore, you were only curious about his method of entering the Middle Pond. If you wanted to go there, you could just go find Zhao Shuyue directly.]

[Shortly after, Lan Xingbi came to bid you farewell and requested that you help look after his mother.]

[You readily agreed. This time, you planned to cultivate seriously and strive to break through to the Soul Transformation Stage as soon as possible.]

[After Lan Xingbi left, you also left the Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden and began to focus on your own cultivation.]

[Since you had been providing pills to the Treasure Pavilion for a long time, you now had a large amount of spirit stones accumulated in your hands.]

[After some consideration, you exchanged them all for cultivation resources.]

[After informing Yuan Dabao that you were going into seclusion, you returned to Kaige Island to begin your closed-door cultivation.]

[At age 23, you finally emerged from seclusion because your resources were completely exhausted.]

[Your cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Nascent Soul Stage.]

[It wasn't that your talent wasn't high enough, but rather that the Nascent Soul Stage consumes far too many resources.]

[You were able to sustain two years of seclusion entirely thanks to the support of your talent and comprehension.]

[Upon emerging this time, you heard that the Silver Fish Auction House had an item called wugu longteng.]

[This item is a peerless material for refining Soul Transformation Stage Pills and is highly sought after by many Nascent Soul cultivators.]

[One must undergo the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation to break through to the Soul Transformation Stage, and a high-quality Soul Transformation Stage Pill can help a cultivator mitigate most of the lightning tribulation damage.]

[However, you were confident in your own strength and naturally didn't need a Soul Transformation Stage Pill.]

[But besides refining Soul Transformation Stage Pills, this wugu longteng can also be used to refine a pill called 'Three Thousand Divided Thoughts Paste'.]

[You saw this pill recipe in Great Emperor Wudan's collection; it is a fifth-grade pill.]

[Taking it allows a cultivator to nourish a second soul, which can greatly enhance one's strength.]

[In the following days, you began to comprehend the inheritance of Great Emperor Wudan. You somewhat regretted not bringing an Alchemy Talent this time.]

[At the same time, you were constantly refining pills, as the spirit stones needed to win the bid for the wugu longteng would not be a small amount.]

[You even started inscribing fourth-grade formation plates to sell to the Treasure Pavilion along with the pills.]

[At this point, you didn't care if you caught the Treasure Pavilion's attention. If you could condense a second soul, it would be equivalent to having a second life!]

[When the time comes, if you find an opportunity to refine a physical body, you might even be able to create an avatar.]

[The day of the auction arrived quickly, and you went to the Treasure Pavilion early to sell your items.]

[Knowing you were going to participate in the auction, Yuan Dabao thoughtfully provided you with a subsidy of 200,000 spirit stones.]

[Now, you were a wealthy man with 500,000 in savings.]

[Of course, you were still very nervous, not knowing if this would be enough to secure the wugu longteng.]

[Fortunately, the wugu longteng was not the final grand finale item, so you still had a chance to compete for it.]

[After the auction began, the dazzling array of goods left you shocked.]

[Even though you were already a Nascent Soul cultivator, you still lacked knowledge of the cultivation world.]

[There were many things you needed right now, but for the sake of the wugu longteng, you held back.]

[Finally, it was time for the wugu longteng auction.]

[Many cultivators who hadn't made a sound until now began to bid; clearly, they were all here for the wugu longteng.]

[However, you directly bid 200,000, immediately stunning many cultivators in the hall.]

[Everyone began to speculate about your identity, as someone who could directly offer so many spirit stones was certainly no ordinary person.]

[Just as you were excited and thought you could take it for 200,000, a cultivator appeared and offered a price of 250,000.]

[Naturally, you wouldn't be outdone and directly raised it to 300,000.]

[Of course, the most important thing was that the cultivators in the auction house were all disguised, so you didn't know who was competing with you.]

[The opponent hesitated for a moment but still followed with 320,000.]

[Hearing this, you felt more confident. It seemed the opponent's maximum psychological price for this item was around 300,000. Fortunately, you could still afford it.]

[You continued by bidding 350,000. As expected, the opponent did not continue to follow, and you obtained the wugu longteng as you wished!]

[However, you didn't leave; you also wanted to see what the grand finale of this auction would be.]